From the beginning of time there has been great adversity and hardships that many have faced and overcome. It is true that hard work pays off; if it were not for great inventors we would be without telephones, printers, traffic lights, and even artificial light. Ease does no good for man kind, for what has ease accomplished? With Adversity comes potential, strength, and satisfaction.Adversity can bring out ones true potential for greatness. It is true that good things can come out of bad situations.

Growing up in Guyana, South America, my mother did not have many of the opportunities that we have today. When she was thirteen she and her mother moved to New York. My mother attended Clara Barton School for Professionals there and never knew exactly what she wanted to be. Since she did not know much about the different career paths that were available to her, my mother settled for the only thing she knew about, nursing. One day she was experiencing tooth pain and went to a dental clinic that her school provided. She started to ask the dental assistant questions about her profession. With that, she switched her career path and decided to study Dental Hygiene. Although the course was rather rigorous, she pushed through and began to see that she had great potential in this field she had chosen to prefect.

After high school my mother attended State University of Farming Dale in New York. There, she completed a two year study in Dental Hygiene. After seeing what she was really capable of in high school my mother completely focused on earning her degree. During college my mom got serious, and really buckled down on her studies. Often times my mother has told me that she has sacrificed a lot to make it where she is today, it was not always easy. My mother overcame the stressors of living in a new environment and out of it came the strength to keep doing what she loves.

Now my mother is now stronger than ever. Everyday she takes on the duty of being a devoted spouse and mother along with a career; she always strives to be better. Going through all that she has, has made her strong-minded and a better person. She is proud, along with my father, to have a family of their own and to help my sister and I have even better opportunities. When the recession hit our country my mother watched as many Americans lost the jobs that they once felt so secure in. She is thankful to still have her job of 20 years at Stephen Konikoff Family Dentistry and to still help people smile today.

Adversity, overall, is an opportunity. The opportunity to make a better way, in all that we do and strive to be. Adversity makes us who we are and challenges us to test our limits and strengthen our morals. The hardships we face can certainly make us brand new and changed, in a way it is destiny. I find strength in my parents and what they have faced to help me make the right choices for me despite the hardships I may face in the future. I will always make it through and know that in the end it makes a strong, well rounded, and independent individual.